Muster Up the Strength
by QueVeeBee
Summary: Chuck can deal with it the way he deals with everything else.Avoid it.Ignore it.Do as he pleases,really.I told him I was done,that it was over,and he hasn't done anything about it.You see,he could never muster up the strength to fight for me.


**A/N: Spoiler alert! Regarding the pictures that have been released with Nate and Blair, but disregarding the second set of pictures that have been recently released of Nate and Blair.**

**More fluff! LOL I don't know what's gotten into me considering I don't normally write these kind of fics. But it's another one shot so its not binding for me to continue writing fluffy. :-) Reviews=Love. Happy Readings!! xoxo

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Blair made her way inside the Van der Bass (yes the name had stuck despite the fact that Bart Bass had unfortunately passed away) suite and hurried to the stairs in an attempt to make a clean break to Serena's room and avoid Chuck Bass at all costs. Serena, though, had other ideas as she made her presence known from her spot in the living room couch, forcing Blair to retreat the few steps she had ascended and face her friend in order to discover why Serena had so harshly demanded for her to visit her at the penthouse.

"Serena, what's the big-" Blair began before she was interrupted by Serena's outburst.

"Please tell me the latest Gossip Girl Blast is not true..." Serena hurried to her side and grabbed Blair's shoulders rather aggressively.

Blair scowled at her friend as the snow was shaken off her winter hat and fell across her cheeks. "Serena please. You're hurting me," Blair said softly as she reached for Serena's hands and began to push her away. Once free from Serena's bony hands, she opened her coat and flung it against the couch, along with her gloves and hat.

"Blair! Do you have any idea what Gossip Girl just posted? I figured the picture must have been doctored. Or that I had somehow found myself transported back in time to much simpler times in our lives. But seeing you in front of me now wearing the exact same outfit, I'm positive this isn't another unfounded story on Gossip Girl's part," Serena rushed to say as she walked over to the coffee table and picked up her cellphone. "Look at this!"

Blair brushed herself off and adjusted her skirt, scowling as she walked the few feet to Serena and took the phone rudely from her grasp and stared at the screen. Her mouth widened in shock as she took in the sight of her and Nate kissing in a palatial, winter wonderland. "Oh my God! How did she get this!?" Blair cried as she scrolled through the text of the GG Blast that proclaimed _**Oh how lucky are we? Seems that the Queen and King of the UES are finally together again. But let's not pop the bubbly just yet... I'm sure a certain Bass will not sit back quietly when he gets a whiff of this. **_

"How did she get this?" Serena threw back sarcastically. "That woman is everywhere. She's omnipotent. She's the great and powerful Oz. You out of all people should know this already! The better question is...What the hell are you doing back together with Nate Archibald?!" Serena screeched in horror as she took her phone from Blair's hands and flung it on the couch. "Blair, please tell me this is just a slip up. A momentary lapse of judgment on both you guys' part."

Blair sat on the couch speechless, taking in the shock of what had just happened. No less than twenty minutes ago, she was walking in Central Park and kissing Nate. Now said incident was plastered all over Gossip Girl and from the looks of it, not many people were happy. She could think of one person in particular that she knew would be furious. Or destroyed.

"Serena...I...I...don't know what I was thinking," Blair struggled to get out, unsure of how to explain herself. Unaware of any explanation that existed to give reason as to why she had kissed Nate. She herself didn't know why she had done it. It just seemed...right. It was familiar. It was comfortable. After all the time they had been spending together lately, it just came naturally she supposed.

"You're right, you weren't thinking. How could you do this to Chuck?" Serena asked as she took a seat next to her friend on the couch and faced her head on. She was even surprising herself by how much she was defending and looking after Chuck. But she kept telling herself she was only trying to make Blair realize that what she was doing was a mistake and that she in fact felt nothing for Nate anymore; no this wasn't about Chuck at all.

Blair turned angry eyes at Serena and exhaled sharply. "To Chuck? How could I do what to Chuck? Exactly what am I doing to Chuck, Serena? Huh?" Blair asked angrily as she rose from her seat on the couch and paced the length of the coffee table before them.

"Don't pretend that you feel nothing for him. I know how hurt you are, but that's no reason for you to go running into the arms of someone else. Especially not when that other person is Nate Archibald. You know how much that's going to hurt Chuck," Serena sighed out as she ran her hands through her hair and leaned back against the seat.

Blair glared at her friend as she crossed her arms before her chest. "Hurt Chuck? You're worried about _me _hurting _him_?"

"Yes!"

"That's rich Serena. Really rich," Blair laughed humorlessly as she sat back down on the couch and pouted petulantly. "You know... I gave him every chance in the world. I waited for him. I fought for him. I gave him everything I had, all in hopes that when the dust had settled and the weight had been lifted from his shoulders, that he would come back to me. That he would finally tell me how he truly felt. That he would..." Blair sighed as she fought the growing knot in her throat and the tears threatening to crash onto her cheeks. "Serena I waited...for so long..."

Serena eyed her friend tenderly, her own eyes glazing over as she saw Blair struggling to keep her composure. "Blair...I know all that. I really do. But Nate?"

Blair wiped the tears that spilled quickly from her face and straightened her back. "Nate...is not a big deal. It happened. It didn't mean anything. There's history between us, it felt comfortable, it was what I needed. That's it. Chuck... Chuck can deal with it the way he deals with everything else. Avoid it. Ignore it. Do as he pleases, really. I told him I was done, that it was over, and he hasn't done anything about it. He's stayed away. You see...he could never muster up the strength to fight for me."

Serena leaned over and took her friends hand in her own. "B... you know how he is. You know, I know, everyone knows. He loves you. It's just hard for him," Serena said quietly as she moved closer and hugged her friend.

"It's hard for me too, Serena. I can't wait on Chuck forever. I love him. I love him so much that it's killing me to walk away. But if I don't..."

Both women froze when they heard the creek on the floorboard of the stairs. Gathering the strength to look over her shoulder, Blair caught sight of Chuck Bass staring at her, caught red-handed eavesdropping on their conversation.

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xoxo

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xoxo

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Blair was sure her face displayed panic and embarrassment as she scrambled to her feet and grabbed her belongings haphazardly. Throwing on her hat with disregard for her hair, slipping on her gloves, each on the wrong hand, and throwing her coat on quickly, Blair avoided meeting Chuck's eyes as she hurried over to the door.

"Blair!" Serena and Chuck called out in unison as they rushed to catch up with her.

Blair ignored them both as she rushed and exited the penthouse, praying to any higher being above to open the elevator doors quickly.

Chuck stared at Serena as the door closed behind Blair and pressed his phone into her chest. "She just said she loves me, didn't she?" he asked, trying to reassure himself that he had in fact heard her correctly.

Serena nodded hurriedly, smiling Grinch-like as she held on to Chuck's phone.

"Then why the hell is Gossip Girl showing her kissing Nathaniel?!" Chuck asked angrily, pointing at the cellphone in Serena's clutches as he rushed to the closet to pick out his jacket.

Serena rolled her eyes as she pushed him aside and grabbed his things quicker than he could have ever picked them out. "Ignore that. There's a perfectly good explanation. But if you're trying to catch her, there's no use in you wasting time asking me questions. Go! Hurry!" Serena rushed in excitement as she threw him his jacket and opened the door to the penthouse.

Chuck shook his head, not quite understanding why Serena was so happy and helpful, but refusing to waste any more time questioning her. As he rushed down the empty hall, he cursed the elevator for having arrived so quickly and looked at the display indicating that the elevator was now on the 20th floor. _Perfect. The lounge floor. It'll be there for a while..._

And at that moment Chuck Bass did what Chuck Bass had never done before. He took the stairs. He ran and tripped and cursed and hurried. And when he hit the 18th floor he rushed inside and pressed the button, praying that the elevator hadn't past by the floor already.

The five seconds that followed were the longest five seconds of his life as his heart accelerated and he pondered what the hell he was actually doing and what he was going to say the moment he caught her. Before he could think things through any further the doors opened to reveal a crowded elevator and he frowned.

"Blair!" Chuck shouted as he held the door open and peered inside. "Blair!"

He saw her then. Her blue French hat covering her mop of waves. She was hidden in the back, most likely hoping she wouldn't be seen. "Excuse me, I'm just trying to talk to her," Chuck signaled as he attempted to get into the already filled elevator.

Blair sighed out in frustration as some of the people stared at her angrily and scoffed at Chuck pushing his way in. "This would be easier if I just step out, Chuck," Blair whispered quietly as she pushed her way out of the elevator and stepped out into the deserted hallway.

Chuck looked down at her as she stood there motionless, speechless, staring down at the floor the entire time. He smiled despite himself as he reached out and caressed her cheek softly.

"Don't..." she pleaded as she stared up at him then, her eyes saddened and tear-filled.

"I heard what you said," Chuck began softly, feeling the electricity course through his fingers at the slight contact with her skin.

"Pretend you didn't," Blair stated firmly, willing herself to be strong and not let the tears fall. _Blair Cornelia Waldorf, since when have you become such a crier...?_

"I can't do that. But before anything else, I need you to tell me why you were with Nate?" Chuck asked as he took her chin in his hand and raised her head to meet her eyes. Staring deep into her eyes he felt his heart melt, he felt as if he'd crashed in a pool of chocolate wonderfulness and didn't even care if he drowned. There was something about swimming in their depths that made him feel whole, made him feel alive and gave him a reason to keep on going.

Blair shook her head and turned away from his eyes, feeling too overwhelmed being touched so gently and being looked at as if she were frail, especially when that attention was coming from Chuck Bass. The yelling, the fighting, the power struggle... all that she could handle. But he was never like this with her. Never. And it honestly scared her just a bit.

"I wasn't with Nate," Blair said softly as she folded her arms and stared up at the ceiling, counting to ten in an attempt to gain her composure.

"Well that doesn't clarify anything, seeing as Gossip Girl's picture proves otherwise," Chuck continued as he reached out and grabbed her shoulder, causing Blair to flinch at the contact.

"Yeah well, you shouldn't always believe everything you read. Especially not the stuff on Gossip Girl," Blair pulled away.

"Touché. But that doesn't explain why you were making out with Nathaniel?" Chuck pressed on, grabbing Blair's shoulder and turning her to face him once more.

"Fine. I kissed him. Is there's something wrong with that?" Blair shot back angrily, trying hard to fight his tenderness with fire.

Chuck didn't back down nor did he fight back. "Not unless you two are back together," Chuck bit out, a twitch flicking through his jaw.

Blair sighed as she stared back down at the ground. _Why the hell is he being so nice?_

"Are you two back together?" Chuck asked as he reached down and grabbed her hands in his own.

Blair stared up at him. _Chuck and Blair holding hands..._

The tears sprung quickly to her eyes and overflowed. She shook her head in negation through the haze of tears.

"Is that a no?" Chuck asked with a slight smile lining his lips.

"No," Blair choked out softly, continuing to shake her head while her fingers tightened around his own.

"OK..." Chuck breathed out in relief. "So why kiss him?" He held on to her hands tighter as well.

"I...I don't know. I was lonely, I guess," Blair cried out.

"Do you love him?" Chuck interrupted, knowing Blair was having too hard a time to form coherent sentences.

"No."

"So what you said to Serena upstairs... is that true?"

Blair freed one of her hands and wiped at her eyes. "I said a lot up there..."

"The part about you loving me...?" Chuck asked nervously, impatient to hear the truth from her lips.

Blair inhaled deeply and then breathed out. "Do _you_?"

Chuck laughed. "Back to that are we? Who says it first?" he teased as he grabbed her face between his hands and dragged her closer.

Blair laughed as well, allowing him to take her closer into his arms and nodded in agreement.

"OK, Waldorf. I think it's the least I could do. Put you out of your misery and all," Chuck joked with a twinkle in his eyes as he cleaned Blair's tears with his thumbs.

"I," he kissed her salty cheek.

"Love," he kissed her other cheek as Blair gasped in surprise.

"You." He kissed her lips softly. Tenderly. Fleetingly. "And I'm so sorry for everything. _Everything_. You... you're everything to me. And I love you. And I'm sorry I never told you that before," Chuck whispered across her lips, feeling her tears wetting his own face. Or maybe the tears were his own, he wasn't sure.

Blair wrapped her arms tightly around his neck as she laughed and cried against his lips. She felt hysterical. She felt overwhelmed. She felt a powerful happiness that she feared could never last. But then he placed his hands at the small of her back and kissed her harder, making all the doubts to escape her mind.

"Tell me..." he breathed as he pulled away in order for them both to catch their breaths.

"What do you want me to say? I'll say anything..." And she remembered a time when she had uttered those exact same words, when the stakes had been high and it was all a game for them both. This time was different. She knew it. He knew it. He smiled softly, void of his usual smarmy smugness, and stared deep into her eyes.

"Three words. Eight letters. Say them and I'm yours," he grinned a little more wickedly this time as he nipped her neck lightly with his teeth.

Blair laughed on a choked breath as she pulled away from him and looked into his eyes. "I love you, Chuck Bass. Always have. Always will."


End file.
